4 3 2 1
by Unknown Personality
Summary: Before the HAPPILY EVER AFTER they were just FOUR people. After, they had THREE kids and became TWO sets of parents and altogether? ONE happy family.


____**Cardcaptor Sakura © CLAMP**_______  
____This is part of the __**After The Happily Ever After**__ series of standalone one-shots____  
___To be able to distinguish the Ruby from Ruby, I used the Japanese names of all the characters.____  
____The actual title is broken down into 4 parts, hence the shortened title "4. 3. 2. 1."____  
___I have included the name of the speaker after the quote/sentence/paragraph as a reader found it_ _difficult to understand without them_  
__ _ __ __**Enjoy!**__ _ __

"Eh he," came the nervous laugh. _(Yukito)_

"What 'eh he'?" Nakuru asked suspiciously. _(Nakuru)_

"Yue just said 'No way'." _(Yukito)_

"I don't care what he says Yukito." _(Nakuru)_

"Shouldn't you? I mean, he is my creator and half of me…" _(Yukito)_

"I shouldn't. He's your creator and you are you. Character and personality wise of course." _(Nakuru)_

"Oh no, actually-" _(Yukito)_

She held up a hand. "Don't care." _(Nakuru)_

A nervous laugh again. "What about Ruby?" _(Yukito)_

"She can't wait. Both for the photo and to throttle him." _(Nakuru)_

A burst of wind.

"As if you could," a pair of cold eyes stared at Nakuru._ (Yue)_

She transformed. "I could and I have." She paused thoughtfully, finger tapping her chin, head turned to the sky. "Remember?" she looked straight at him, head titled with her broad smirk fully illuminated in the lamplight._ (Ruby)_

"That wasn't a fair match so it doesn't count."_ (Yue)_

"That _was_ a fair match and you're a sore loser. Remember," she wagged a finger in his face, "the first step to solving your issues is acceptance."_ (Ruby)_

He snatched her hand away in cool anger. Although his demeanour was casual, his eyes blazed fire.

"Watch your mouth."_ (Yue)_

"Why should I?"_ (Ruby)_

She soon found out why.

**_  
4 People**

"Okaa-san!" a young voice thrilled from the living room. "Takeshi's _bullying_ me!"_ (Osaka)_

"I'm not bullying her. I just want my toy back," came the calm disclaimer. _(Takeshi)_

"Takeshi. You're bullying her." Hotaru stated._ (Hotaru)_

"Well long as I get my toy back, call it what you want," was the stoic reply. _(Takeshi)_

More pulling commenced.

**_  
3 Kids**

"Takeshi!" came the outraged yell followed by thudding feet from upstairs. "Let go of Osaka's hair!" _(Nakuru)_

"Okaa-san. She has possession of my vintage 19-" _(Takeshi)_

"Stop. Here!" A tug and then a squeal. _(Nakuru)_

"But Okaa-_chan_! I want it! It's so…shiny!" Googly eyes._ (Osaka)_

"Osaka-chan. You have your own shiny things to play with. Leave Take-kun's things alone." _(Nakuru)_

Puppy eyes. "But O_kaa_-chan~"_ (Osaka)_

A sigh. "Fine." _(Nakuru)_

"Yay!" Thud, thud, thud went Osaka's footsteps. "Otou-chan!" _Plop._ "Can we go buy my new shiny thing now?"_ (Osaka)_

"Ye-" Yukito transformed. _(Yukito)_

"No. You have enough shiny things."_ (Yue)_

A stare. "Yue-tou-chan. Please! I wanna go now!"_ (Osaka)_

"No, Osaka. I'm not buying you anything and I'm not letting Yukito buy you anything."_ (Yue)_

"Tou-chan!" A thump, thump commenced as punches rained on Yue's knees._ (Osaka)_

"Come _on_ Yue," Nakuru coaxed from the doorway. She had followed Osaka up._ (Nakuru)_

"No," he glared at her._ (Yue)_

Nakuru transformed with a sigh. Ruby leaned seductively against the doorway dressed in a skimpy cheetah print negligee, finger pressed against her mouth innocently. "Pwetty pwease?"_ (Ruby)_

"No." His eyebrow twitched. "Put some clothes on. You're not being a very good model right now."_ (Yue)_

"Oh, I'm being a very _good_ model right now." Walk, walk, sway, sway. She walked toward Yue slowly. "Osaka-chan," she said looking straight at Yue. Osaka's eyes followed her. "When you want something from a guy, you should…" she paused her as put her finger under Yue' chin and leaned on her tiptoes. She cupped Yue's cheek with the other hand. "You should," she repeated and leaned in to kiss him but she didn't get to. There were two simultaneous poofs and a red-faced Yukito and Nakuru appeared tottering about unsteadly when the smoke cleared. Nakuru jumped away from him and spun around to face her daughter. _(Ruby)_

"Osaka-chan," she said pointing a finger at her and standing straight, legs planted on the floor, looking warlike. "You musn't do that. Yue-tou-chan and Ruby-kaa-chan aren't good role models. Don't listen to them." She paused. "Actually just Ruby. Yue's all right." _(Nakuru)_

A cough sounded behind them.

"What?" Nakuru spun around angrily. _(Nakuru)_

"You're, _ahem_," Yukito coughed again looking away, "still wearing the negligee." _(Yukito)_

She looked down and gasped. She crossed her arms hurriedly across her chest. "You pervert!" she screamed at Yukito and ran out of the room. Hotaru and Takeshi had turned up halfway during the spectacle and had stood watching from the doorway. Now, they flattened themselves against it in a hurry so as to get out of their mother's way. _(Nakuru)_

Yukito stared after Nakuru quizzically and then at this children. "How am I a pervert?" he asked genuinely confused. _(Yukito)_

Three shrugs. "No idea."_ (Hotaru, Osaka and Takeshi)_

A yell came from downstairs. "The family photo!" _(Nakuru)_

**_  
2** (pairs of) **Parents**

"Stand still!" Nakuru bustled about adjusting this, yanking this, pinching cheeks. _(Nakuru)_

Hotaru, Osaka and Takeshi fidgeted.

"Stand _still_!" _(Nakuru)_

"But the photographer isn't here!"_ (Hotaru)_

"I don't care! I want it perfect!" _(Nakuru)_

"Okaa-chan!"_ (Osaka)_

"Perfect!" _(Nakuru)_

"No, it most definitely isn't perfect," Takeshi said shaking his head melancholically. _(Takeshi)_

Nakuru glared at him. "And, what, may I ask, isn't perfect?" _(Nakuru)_

"Well first of all, you just said that you wanted it to be perfect implying that it isn't right now. But," he hurriedly on seeing that his mother seemed to be running out of patience, "Osaka has a problem." _(Takeshi)_

"Problem? What problem?" Nakuru spun around to face her _(Nakuru)_. Osaka wiggled about with an innocent look on her face. "I just have to go potty."_ (Osaka)_

Nakuru blew the hair out of her face in exasperation. "Now?" _(Nakuru)_

"Now~"_ (Osaka)_

"Yukito!" _(Nakuru)_

"Otou-chan can't take her to the bathroom. She's a girl." _(Takeshi)_

"Right. Okay then. Takeshi. Look after them." There was a squawk of protest from Hotaru about being the eldest and how unfair it was that Takeshi, who was the youngest (of the _triplets, _**H**otaru, **O**saka, **T**akeshi (Yes, Nakuru and Ruby chose the names)), had to look after them but Nakuru was already off and running with Osaka. _(Nakuru)_

Grumble, grumble.

Condescending stare.

"Don't patronise me!"_ (Hotaru)_

"I'm not patronizing you." _(Takeshi)_

"You are _so_ patronising me! Stop it!"_ (Hotaru)_

"Hotaru-nee-chan. I am _not_ patronising you. It's all in your imagination." Pat, pat. "Told you shouldn't have read all those books. Tut, tut." _(Takeshi)_

"Argh!" She flew at him. They fell over in a tangle of arms and legs._ (Hotaru)_

"I don't think Okaa-chan would like this very much." Punch, punch. "Ow! Nee-chan!" _(Takeshi)_

"I don't think she would like it very much either but you need to be taught a lesson and I'm going to make sure you learn it!"_ (Hotaru)_

"By punching me?" _(Takeshi)_

_Punch!_ "You smug idiot!"_ (Hotaru)_

"That hurt nee-chan. That really hurt." _(Takeshi)_

"Stop talking to me in the tone!" _Punch! (Hotaru)_

"What are you kids doing?" Yukito sounded horrified. "Oh," he nearly swooned. "Nakuru's going to kill me. What should I do? What should I do? Yue, could you do something? What? You can't? I can't believe I just realised that you were practically useless. I'm sorry Yue, I didn't mean it that way but it _is_ true in a way. Oh, stop _arguing_ and help me!" He sounded desperately. _(Yukito)_

Takeshi and Hotaru just stared at him, Takeshi pinned to the ground with Hotaru's hands and the frills on her dress (well, they were getting in his face and annoying him) and her on top of him pinning him to the ground with her hands and the frills on her dress.

"Okay." He held out his hands and helped them stand up. He brushed off any dirt that was on their clothes and straightened all the crooked bows and just in time too for Nakuru and Osaka had returned from the toilet. _(Hotaru, Takeshi)_

She smiled. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The doorbell rang.

The photographer was ushered in and he set up his equipment. Nakuru bustled about straightening the bows and then stood in place beside Yukito. Eriol had said that he was going to edit in Yue and Ruby so that it was a proper family photo.

"Say cheese!" _(the photographer)_

"Why _cheese_? It's so _ordinary_. Why not something like-" _(Hotaru)_

**_  
1 Family**

_Click._

**_  
(by) Unknown Personality**

**Biographies:**

_NOTE: Yukito and Nakuru are the __**actual**__, registered parents but since Yue and Ruby are their creators, the triplets have some of their qualities as well. I don't think Yue and Ruby __**can**__ have children. _

Hotaru Tsukishiro: Eldest of the identical Tsukishiro triplets. She's my OC as you already might have guessed. She isn't all that brilliant but likes to think she is as so acts snobbish at times and can't stand the fact the her brother (who's younger than her by a few seconds) is smart. She looks like Yue/Yukito with Nakuru's eyes and style of wearing her hair. She inherits her stubbornness and frivolity from both Ruby and Nakuru.

Osaka Tsukishiro: Middle child of the Tsukishiro triplets, the "chocolate chip in the cookie" (guess who said it!) She's an OC as well. She's very cute to look at and acts cute and generally wins the hearts of everyone who sees her. She uses her cuteness to manipulate people into doing her will. She has short, shoulder-length silver hair like Yue/Yukito's and Ruby/Nakuru's eyes. She inherits Nakuru's need to always look cute and Ruby's manipulative nature.

Takeshi Tsukishiro: Youngest child of the Tsukishiro triplets. He's an OC as well. (You might have guessed that I seem to like being repetitive ^_^" I'm trying to get out of it). He wears glasses and is extremely intelligent. He inherits many of Yue's qualities and looks exactly like him, just with shorter hair. He cares about his "toys" a lot.


End file.
